Shadows Among the Peach Blossoms
by Raven Morning
Summary: After Po and the Five return from Gongmen City and begin to put the pieces of their lives back together, something still doesn't sit right with the Dragon Warrior. Apparently, there are some things that even Inner Peace cannot heal. Slight Ti/Po, R&R!


**So this is my first try at a Kung Fu Panda fic! I've always liked the first movie, but the second movie just blew me away, and after seeing it and reading some of the wonderful fics on here, I got an idea for one of my own. Like I said, it's my first shot, so I apologize if Po or Tigress seem OC to you.**

**Yes, it is a fic based around Tigress and Po, and yes, there will be hints of Ti/Po. Those two are my favorite characters to ship in KFP. If you don't agree, I respect your opinion completely, but I ask that you respect mine as well by not bashing me or the fic because of it.**

**Oh, and the disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda or any of its characters, so don't sue me! I'm just having fun!  
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**Now that that's out of the way, on to the story!**

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><p>The cool mountain air swept over her, dancing through her fur and whiskers and sending welcome shivers up her spine. The breeze brought the pleasant scent of damp grass, burning wood and peach blossoms to her nose, a familiar but sweet smell. She gazed up at the night sky, settled like a velvet blanket over the valley and stretched over the crags and peaks of the surrounding mountains. Innumerable stars shone down, burning like miniature torches of the heavens, lighting the pathways of the gods. Though she'd known this place most of her life, Tigress would always appreciate the beauty that night brought to the Valley of Peace. A smile stirred at her lips as she stepped out of the main courtyard of the Jade Palace and began walking through the palace gardens. Grass prickled and bent underneath her paws as she walked, her feet following a path they long ago memorized.<p>

Her muscles stretched and ached pleasantly at the much needed exercise. It was wonderful to finally be outside after being cooped up for so long. Tigress knew Shifu would be displeased with her if he knew she'd left her room, but she also knew he was being overcautious with both herself and Po, and that a small walk would do her no harm.

Eight days had passed since the Furious Five and their Master had returned from Gongmen City, battered, bruised, and tired. The first couple days of their return had been spent mostly sleeping and eating, two things they hadn't been able to do much of on their journey. After those two days, Shifu instated a light training regimen for Monkey, Crane, Viper and Mantis to begin. However, Shifu insisted that Tigress and Po abstain from training until he decided they were well enough to join the others.

While they all had sustained injuries on their mission, Tigress and Po were the worst off, by far. Both had withheld direct cannon fire and received multiple cuts and bruises. Tigress has four broken ribs, fractured her left arm, tore two thigh muscles, and had a rather nasty stab wound in her side, caused by shrapnel from the boat Shen's cannon had destroyed in Gongmen Harbor.

Po had five broken ribs, a badly distressed right shoulder, a broken bone in his right arm, several burns, blunt force trauma to his stomach and a badly bruised back- both thanks to being shot through a wall by a cannon. The healers said the only reason the panda lived through that was because the wok he was holding at the time helped to slow the cannonball and lessen the force of the impact.

For that, Tigress was entirely grateful. If it hadn't been for that wok, Po would've died, and it would be all her fault. Images of that moment still plagued her mind; the blinding flash of the cannon firing, the heat of the burning metal as it grazed past her, the fear and shock in Po's eyes. He was there one second and gone the next, disappearing before her very eyes, leaving only the echoes of his scream behind him. She had been so close, close enough that his fur grazed her fingertips. But, she hadn't been fast enough.

The fear of what could have been burned like bile in the back of her throat. She could still remember that moment of absolute hollowness right afterward, when Shen was crowing with victorious glee and she and her teammates were being rounded up and put in chains. Po was dead, she had thought, and it was all her fault. The Dragon Warrior was gone.

But he wasn't just the Dragon Warrior- he was their friend. He was _her_ friend. And despite how she acted toward him when he first arrived at the Jade Palace, after he defeated Tai Lung she had come to respect him. And, after many months of his persistent niggling, she allowed herself to lower her barriers- to an extent- and permit herself to enjoy his company and friendship. He was warm and happy, and being around him made Tigress inexplicably happy too. Po always did his best to make her smile and, gods forbid, actually laugh. And every time she became defensive and raised her walls again, Po was able to see through it all to who she really was. What was more important was that Po was the first person who had actually _tried_ to see past her barriers. That's not to say the panda didn't get on her nerves every now and again, because the gods know he did. Still, whether it was through his good-natured attitude, his compassion, his caring or his understanding, Po managed to become her closest friend. To lose him would be to lose a big part of herself.

When she and the Five were chained to the mast of Shen's main ship, paraded around like the spoils of conquest, Tigress was lost in her grief and guilt. Hope eluded her, and she no longer had the strength to be the person her teammates needed her to be. She had no plan, no scheme, no idea of how to beat Shen and save China. Without Po, they were lost. The gods must have been smiling on them that night though, because suddenly there he was, breathing, living, and being undeniably Po.

The scent of peach blossoms grew stronger as the winding path ended, and Tigress knew without looking that she had come to where she wanted to be; the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. However, as she drew nearer to the ancient and twisted tree, she realized she wasn't the only one there. Sitting at the edge of the precipice, hunched and dangling his feet over the side, was Po. His monochromatic fur stood out in a shock of white amid the darkness of the night. The tiger master paused a few feet from the tree, watching the panda. He seemed to be upset or concerned with something- she could see it in the way he held his body. His shoulders were weighed down as if under some invisible burden, and his ears lay flat, occasionally twitching in the cool air. Tigress shifted, debating whether to make her presence known or to leave him to himself. But when her sensitive hearing picked up a deep shuddering sigh, she decided it would be wrong of her to simply walk away. If she was going to get this friend thing down, she had to start somewhere.

She cleared her throat softly, stepping forward. Po lifted his head and turned, his slightly surprised expression indicating that he hadn't heard her approach.

"Oh, uh, hey Tigress," he said, forcing a friendly tone and smile.

Tigress nodded slightly. "Po."

He looked at her a moment longer before dropping his gaze to his lap.

"I did not expect to find anyone up here," she continued. He didn't respond. She reached Po's side and guestured to the spot next to him. "May I join you?"

"Yeah, of course."

She settled herself down on the soft earth and looked out across the wide expanse of sky. Mist enveloped the valley, rolling over the homes and through the streets of its residents, reducing the small town to a cluster of golden-hazed lights obscured by the opaque white fog. Mountain peaks broke through the fog, rising into the night sky as monoliths. A crescent moon hung low in the sky, pouring white light over the crest of the surrounding mountain and bathing everything in silver.

"It's a beautiful night," Po mentioned, his eyes searching the sky.

"Yes, it is," she agreed. She studied him for a moment, observin the saddened expression on his usually cheerful face, and the slightest trace of tears staining the fur on his cheeks. She glanced down and noticed for the first time that he was holding something. Cupped in his paws was a single peach.

"Why are you out here, Po?" she asked, her voice uncharacteristically gentle.

He didn't answer for such a while that Tigress thought he might not have heard her. She was about to repeat herself when suddenly, he spoke.

"Have you ever seen a panda, Tigress?"

Her brows dipped with confusion. "Of course I have Po, you're a panda."

He sighed, shaking his head. "No, not like that." He turned, looking her straight in the eye. "I mean, have you ever seen a panda besides me?"

She paused and thought for a moment, searching through her memories. Despite all her travels, through the largest empires to the farthest reaching villages of China, she could not recall coming across a single panda before meeting Po. How strange, she thought. Tigress had seen a vast variety of species, from the gazelles of Gongmen City, to the howling monkeys of Yanjing, to the spotted owls of Xiangzhou- animals of all sizes and colors. How was it that she'd never seen a giant panda?

"No, I don't think I have, Po," she said. "You're the first that I've met."

He closed his eyes, a fleeting expression of sorrow clouding his face. "Yeah. Yeah, I figured." He turned his face to the sky, his eyes reflecting the stars like two mirror pools.

"You know," he said, "I've always stood out from everyone else. When I was a cub, I used to wonder why I was so different. Why was I a panda, when everyone else was a bunny, or a goose or a duck or a pig?" He looked down at the peach, shifting it and rolling it in his paws. "I used to pray, asking the gods to turn me into a bunny or a pig, into something _normal_, just so the other kids would stop teasing me."

Tigress' heart clenched, sharing in his pain. Memories rose, unbidden, from the back of her mind. Bao Gu Orphanage. The pain, the loneliness, the isolation. The fear and hatred in their eyes. The insults and names, '_Monster, monster, monster..._' She shoved the images down, suppressing them as soon as they came.

"I'm sorry, Po. I understand how painful that can be."

He nodded. "I came up here tonight to clear my head, and maybe get a little perspective." Po chuckled, rubbing his neck abashedly. "I was actually hoping maybe some of Oogway's mystic mumbo jumbo would rub off on me or something, seeing how much he loved this place."

Tigress let out a small laugh, fond memories of the late tortoise passing through her mind. "He was very wise," she agreed. "Wiser than any of us." A small silence passed between them, in which she felt an odd sort of tension coming from the panda beside her. Her crimson eyes drifted over him, taking in the twitch of his ear, the troubled lines forming around his mouth, and the restless fidgeting of his paws. He was holding something back.

"There's something else you're not telling me," she said. "Something's bothering you."

Po's eyes shot over to hers, guilt flooding his boyish features. "Wha- What are you talking about? There's nothing- I- I'm fine."

She fixed him with a firm glare. "Panda, if there is one thing you are not, it is a liar," she said, her tone bartering no argument. "Now tell me what it is that troubles you."

His jade eyes held hers for a long moment, before he broke the gaze and lowered his head.

"In Gongmen City, I was finally able to remember everything. I learned who my family was, where I came from, what happened- all when I was just a cub." He looked at her, a weak smile on his lips. "I was so happy to finally have the answers, but... they weren't exactly happy memories."

"A long time ago, it was foretold that a peacock would be defeated by a warrior of black and white. The prophecy was meant for Shen. He was next in line for the Gongmen throne, and he would do anything to keep that power." His paws tightened into fists, and his voice became pained. "Shen... he killed my people. My entire village was wiped out, along with every panda left in China. My parents died for me, Tigress. They sacrificed _everything_, just so I could live. Me, one stupid little panda cub." His voice wavered and broke, tears overwhelming him faster than he could control. They cut wide, wet trails through his fur. "I- I just don't understand."

For a moment, Tigress could say nothing. Po had never told any of them what had happened when he was gone. He shrugged off all their questions with vague answers, or avoided them altogether. To realize that this was what he went through shocked her to her core. Her shock, however, quickly gave way to disgust and fury that roiled deep within her stomach. The peacock was even more sick and twisted than she thought. He murdered an entire species to disprove a fate which he sealed for himself the second he spilled a drop of blood.

She shook herself from her momentary lapse and turned her gaze to Po. Raw hurt and confusion were open on his face. She watched as he unsuccessfully fought back more tears, and found herself desperately wanting to do something, _anything_, to help him.

"Po," she whispered. "I-I'm so sorry. I had no idea what Shen had done to you, or your people." She rested a paw on his shoulder, trying to catch his eyes.

"Why did they do it Tigress?" he sobbed. "Why did my parents give up everything for _me_? I'm not worth all those lives!"

"They did it because they loved you," she replied simply. "To them, you were worth everything. Don't you see?"

He shook his head angrily, roughly shrugging off her paw. "No, I don't. Everyone is gone because of me! All those pandas, dead, just to save me!" he yelled. "If it wasn't for the prophecy, if it wasn't for _me_, they'd still be alive. It's all my fault!" With that last shout, Po wound back his arm and threw the peach as hard as he could into the misty abyss below them.

Tigress stared, surprised at the outburst. She'd never seen him lose his temper before. Did he really blame himself for all that happened? Did he honestly think himself that unimportant to be not worth saving? Tigress growled, suddenly angry with the panda's hard-headedness. He was the Dragon Warrior! Didn't he know how much he mattered to the Five and Shifu? To _her_?

In a motion faster than Po could see, Tigress had shoved Po down, away from the edge of the cliff, and pinned him to the ground, herself poised above him with her paws on his shoulders. He cried out, surprised by the attack. She glared down at him, and he had the decency to look halfway between scared and angry.

"You listen to me, Po," she growled. "This was not your fault. It was Shen's. Yes, there was a prophecy made, but Shen chose to act on it. You were only a cub. There was no telling _who_ the warrior in the prophecy would be; not even Shen knew. Your parents were only doing what they knew was right in their hearts by saving you, because they loved you."

"But-"

"But _nothing_," she snarled, shoving his shoulders against the ground. "How dare you say such things? You're not just a panda. You are the Dragon Warrior, Po. You mean so much to everyone- your parents, your father, the Valley, Shifu, Viper, Mantis, Monkey, Crane... and _me_. You're our friend, and without you, we would all be dead or worse."

And then Tigress did something she hadn't done since Gongmen City.

She hugged him.

Her arms were around his neck, and the rest of her was curled up on his belly. She felt him tense up for a moment before relaxing into her. He wrapped his arms around her middle and held her tightly, his face burrowing into the fur of her shoulder. She could hear his muffled sniffs, and sighed contentedly when his grip tightened. He was so warm, and she decided she liked the way his fur rubbed against hers. Her mind sent up a warning signal at that realization, but she pushed it down and decided to look at it further later on, when she didn't have two armfuls of panda under her.

"Po," she said gently, all traces of anger gone from her voice. "You're my friend. And as difficult as it was for me to open up enough to share a friendship with you, I have never regretted it. That night in Gongmen, when you were shot and I thought that you had died, I- it caused me more pain than I'd like to admit." She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. "I don't want to experience that again. We need you, Po."

He smiled, the fur under his eyes damp. "Thank you, Tigress," he said. His eyes held hers for a long moment before his grip on her loosened. She took that as her cue to let go, so she got to her feet and offered Po a hand up. He took it, and scrubbed the back of his paw across his cheeks to wipe away the last trace of tears.

"Well," Po sighed, glancing back at the Palace. "I don't think I want to head back in just yet. Being outside after so long is kinda nice."

She nodded, not sure if she should leave or not. Po was right, being outside was nice, but Tigress didn't want to stay if the Dragon Warrior wanted to be alone. She hesitated like this for a couple moments, before Po's voice broke through to her.

"I could use some company- you know, if you want," he said, motioning to the spaces they had sat earlier, one of which he already occupied.

Tigress smiled gratefully, and took her spot next to him. A pleasant silence fell between them as they enjoyed the night. Tigress was busy trying to find certain constellations in the sky when she heard Po shift beside her, and suddenly there were a pair of warm lips on her cheek- soft and hesitant- for only a few seconds, and then they were gone. Po settled back in his spot, wearing a small smile, and said nothing. Tigress' cheek felt unusually warm where his lips had just been, and she had to keep herself from reaching up and touching the spot. A smile fought its way onto her face, but she too said nothing.

They remained there, in each others company for the rest of the night, where they fell asleep until the first light of morning. They did not wake until sometime after dawn, when they heard light footsteps approaching and the voice of a red panda exclaiming, "Po? Tigress? What are you two doing out of your rooms?"

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><p><strong>Yep, thought I'd through in a little Shifu bit at the end for a laugh, because we all love the grumpy Kung Fu master with giant ears!<br>**

**And I know that Po achieved Inner Peace through accepting his past and learning who he is, but it seemed to me that there would still be a little emotional baggage of sorts in that area.**

**By the way, those two other cities Tigress was naming, I have no idea if they're historically correct. I just looked up ancient Chinese city names and pulled two. lol I'm lazy.  
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**Again, sorry if they're OC. If I ever write more KFP stuff, I'll definitely be looking to improve on that!  
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**So, what did you think? Comments, suggestions, criticisms? Review, please!**


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